Revolving door



Dec. 5, 1933. J. J. DOLEZAL 1,938,279

REVOLV ING DOOR Filed Dec. 1, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 yaa a 40W,

INVENTOR ATTORNEY E Ag V IIIII H J. J. DOLEZAL REVOLVING DOOR Dec. 5, 1933.-

Filed Dec. 1, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 QVQOR BY 0, m m

ATTORNEY Dec. 5, 1933. LEZA 1,938,279

REVOLV ING DOOR Filed Dec. 1, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 5, 1933. J. J. DOLEZAL 1,938,279

REVOLVING DOOR Filed Dec. 1, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ATTORNEY BY Mm J. J. DOLEVZAL 1,938,279

REVOLVING DOOR Dec. 5, 1933.

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 1, 1930 4 49M NVENTOR BY Gil Mm ATTORNEY J. J. DOLEZAL REVOLVING DOOR Dec. 5, 1933.

Filed Dec. 1, 1930 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 J w @WZW,

u N $0 Z///// ///7///h7/7//- H v i 2 Z 6 0 INVENTOR ATTQRNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT FFIC REVOLVING DOOR Application December 1,

7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in revolving doors for public buildings and oflice and similar buildings. One of its objects is to provide an improved revolving door, the leaves or blades of which are adapted in an emergency or when required to be adjusted from their normal radial positions to a collapsed position arranged in parallel planes side by side. Another object is to provide an improved revolving door mounted lo upon an overhead track and movable thereon from a central position in the doorway to a collapsed position at one side of the doorway, thereby leaving a large free opening. Another object is to provide improved means adapted to latch the revolving door in its central position in the doorway, and when retracted to release the door mechanism and allow the door mechanism to ride upon its overhead track to a position at the side of the doorway, where it may be again 20 latched in position. Another object is to provide improved means to adjustably support the leaves or blades of the door relative to their axle or support, so as to be adjustable thereon from radial to folded or collapsed position. Another object is to provide improved door blade supporting mechanism adapted to yield to abnormal such for instance as a rush or persons through the doorway due to a fire or other panic, and permit the blades to fold automatically under strain. Another object is to provide improved resiliently yieldable blade supporting mechanism. My invention also comprises certain details of form and arrangement and combination of components, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section through a folding door embodying my improvements, taken on line l-l of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the door shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail of the folding door axle and support, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the tens-ioning springs detached.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the blade releasing spiders, detached.

6. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of one of the blade 5i, latching ring members, detached.

Fig; 7 is a plan of the reverse side of the ring member shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a plan of one of the blade latching plate members detached and illustrating the positions of the blades relative thereto.

1930. Serial No. 499,161

Fig. 9 is a plan of the reverse side of the plate shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a central vertical section through the blade supporting axle and the latch mechanism carried thereby.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, taken at right angles thereto.

Fig. 12 is a sectional detail of a portion of the door supporting carriage and track.

Fig. 13 is a sectional detail of the carriage ratchet feed, taken on line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a plan of a plate member illustrating a modification of the plate member shown in Fig. 8.

Revolving doors are liable to be subjected to heavy strain from a rush of persons in a condition of panic seeking exit through the doorways, where it would be desirable to have the blades or door sections fold together automatically and afford ample space for exit through the doorway. It is also desirable where a large number of persons are temporarily moving in one direction only to be able to fold the blades together and afford opportunity for more persons to pass through the doorway. 'In warm weather it"is also desirable to fold up the blades and move them over to one side of the doorway to afford a wider doorway and a more free circulation of air through the doorway. My improved door mechanism accomplishes these various objects and is otherwise an improvement upon what. has been heretofore in use.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one embodiment of my invention in which 15 and 16 represent the curved walls of a doorway, between which is normally mounted a vertical revolving door axle 17. A plurality of door sections, leaves, or blades 18 preferably four, are adjustably mounted upon and relative to said door axle, being normally spaced equidistant apart and radially disposed about said door axle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The axle 17 is tubular and has rigidly attached thereto at opposite ends plate members 19 and 20, each provided with a toothed or gear member 22 rigidly mounted relative to said axle and plate members. The plate members l9 and 20 are each provided with an annular channel or recess 24 which is engaged by pins or pivot members 25 carried by hinge straps or bars 26 attached rigidly to top and bottom of the re spective door sections or blades 18, whereby the respective door sections are each pivotally mounted relative to the axle l7 and plate members 19 and 20 by the pins 26 engaging in said annular channels 24. The ends of the respective "Jung bars 26 are each provided with a toothed or gear member 28, the teeth of which interengage with the teeth of the toothed members 22 of the plates 19 and 20, and serve to guide the door sections in an annular path of adjustment about the door axle 17 and with the pins traveling to a limited extent along the annular channels 24. The door sections 18 are thereby each adjustable to a limited extent relative to the axle 1'? and plate members 19 and 20 from the radial position of the door sections shown in full line in Fig. 1 to the collapsed or folded position of the door sec tions shown in Fig. 8.

In order to yieldingly hold the door sections in their radial positions relative to the axle 1'7, and plate members 19 and 20, ring members and 31 are mounted telescopically upon the plate members 19 and 20 and interposed between the plate members 19 and 20 and the hinge bars 26. A series of leaf springs (or spring laminations riveted together) 32 are interposed between the rings 39 and 31 and the plate members 19 and 20, said springs being seated in pockets 33 in the inner face of the ring members 30 and 31, to hold said springs 32 in place relative to said ring members. Each spring 32 is separately removable through gates 32. Each ring member is provided with radial recesses 34 having inclined side walls 35 adapted to engage sections 36 of the bars 25 of counterpart cross section so that of the recesses 34, which recesses 34 and bar sections'36 being resiliently held in engagement by the action of springs 32, serve to normally and yieldingly hold the door sections 18 in radial positions uniformly spaced about the axle 1']. The ring members 39 and 31 are provided with tongues or keys 3'7 which slide endwise in channels or key-ways 38 of the plate members to prevent the ring members rotating relative to the plate members 19 and 20. The pins 25 (see Fig. 3) are each provided with a plunger 40 resiliently energized by a spring 41, and adapted to resiliently engage a shallow counterpart recess 42 in the bottom of the channels 24, which act as spring latches and serve to indicate when the door sections 18 have reached their radial positions, and to retainsaid door sections in their radial positions against displacement by normal strains upon the door sections, but yieldable to abnormal strains upon the door sections to permit the door sections to fold together. The inclined walls 35 of the channels 34 also act still more energetically than the pins 40 when fully engaged with all the door blades to hold the door sections in their radial positions of adjustment against normal strains tending to collapse the door sections.

A spider shaped member has a plurality of radial arms 44 attached to one end of the tube section 45. The arms 44 are seated in counterpart recesses or channels 46 in one face of each plate member 19 and 2 (see Figs. 8 and 9). The ends of the arms 44 extend through perforations 43 in the plate members and are attached, by screws in a manner which will be apparent from an inspecj tion of Fig. 5, to studs 47 carried by the ring members 39 and 31, so that the arms 44 and tube section move with the ring members 30 and 31 relative to the plate members 19 and 2e and the axle 17. The tube sections 45 telescope into the j ends of the axle 1'7 from opposite ends of said xle 17. Also when pressure is applied to the inner ends of the tube sections 45 to force the tube sections outwardly from the ends of the axle 17, the springs 32 yield and ring members 30 are moved toward the plate members 19 and 20, thereby releasing the channels 34 from engagement with the sections 36 of the arms 26, and permitting the arms 26 to be folded together without employing abnormal energy upon the door sections 18, all the energy required being sufficient to release the pins 40 from their recesses 42 and to overcome the friction of folding the door sections together.

The upper plate member 20 is attached to a disk or plate 48 having a tubular axle 49 threaded exteriorly at its upper end. The axle 49 is journaled within the central vertical bore of a carriage 50, and is held rotatably to said carriage by means of a nut 51 threaded to said axle 49 above the carriage 50, whereby the axle 17, plates 19 and 20 and door sections 18 are rotatably and adjust-ably supported upon the carriage 50. This bearing may be a roller hearing as indicated in Fig. 2 if desired. The carriage is provided with two trucks '71 rotatably 'I 1 adjustable upon stud shafts 72 of the carriage 50, and two pairs of wheels journaled to the trucks 71 and which ride upon the lower webs of two channel bars 53 and 54 located above the doorway. This permits the axle 1'7 and door sections 18 to be moved to the center of the doorway and latched in that position, or to be moved close toone side of the doorway after the door sections have been folded together, and latched in that position if desired. By adjusting the trucks 71 upon the stud shafts '72 the door may be aligned or centered so that the lower latch member will register with the socket '76 in the floor. Once adjusted and centered, the set screws '73 are tightened to hold the trucks '21 in adjusted position upon the stud shafts '72. Since it is desirable that the door should rotate 'in only one direction relative to the doorway, a

ratchet wheel or plate is keyed to the stem 49, so as to be rigidly mounted relative to the stem 49. The ratchet wheel 80 is seated in a recess in the carriage 50, and is provided with a series of recesses 81 in its periphery, in which are located balls or rollers 82, and spring actuated plungers 83, which tend to yieldingly force I the balls 82 into one end of the recesses 81. When an attempt is made to rotate the door in one direction, the balls 82 ride along the floor of the recesses 81 so as to become wedged between the floor of the recesses and the wall of carriage direction along the floor of the recesses 81, so as to disengage the balls 82 from the member 50, and to thereby'permit the member 49 to rotate relative to the member 50.

In order to latch the axle 17 in a central operative position or an idle position, I provide at or near the center of the axle tube 17 a guide block 56 located within the tube 1'7, and a manually operable pinion 57 journaled on said block and also serving to anchor the block to the tube 17. A detachable hand wrench 58 serves to rotate I! the pinion 5'7. The block 56 is provided with guideways 59 in which are mounted rack-bars 60 and 61, the teeth of which rack-bars are in mesh with the pinion 57 upon opposite sides thereof, The rack-bars 60 and 61 are attached Lit a by rods 62 to plungers 63 guidedwithin and by the tube 17. The plungers 63 are in position to be forced against the inner ends of the tube sections to thereby force said tube sections outwardly and thereby compress the springs 32 and disengage the arms 26 from the channels 34 to release the door sections 18 from their radial positions and permit the door sections l8'to be folded together. Rods 64 attached to the plungers 63 at one end are attached at their opposite ends to latch bars 65, which are adapted to move endwise within and guided by the axle 49 and the lower tube section 45 respectively, to which the latch bars 65 are preferably splined. The upper latch bar 65 is adapted to be projected beyond the upper end of the axle 49 and through a perforation 66 in a plate 67 attached to the channel bars 53 and 54. The lower latch bar 65 is adapted to be projected below the lower tube section 45 and to enter a recess '76 in a metal plate 63 let into the floor 69 centrally below the perforation 66. The opening in the plate 68 is closed when not engaged by the latch bar 65 by a spring pressed plate 70, which plate is forced downwardly by the entering latch bar. Recesses 71 and 72, similar to 66 and 76, at one side of the doorway serve to receive the latch bars 65 and to latch the folded door to one side of the doorway.

In Figs. 1 and 8 I have shown one type of gears 22 and 26, but other types may be employed if desired, for instance as shown in Fig. 14, a central gear 91 having four toothed faces of equal extent with teeth 92 equidistant about the Gil pins 25 to mesh with said polygonal central gear member. The pins 25 are free to move in the straight sections of the slot 24, but are not able to press the corners. Also if desired the overhead track may be employed to remove the door entirely from the doorway during periods of warm weather. The springs 32 having a limited range of movement, do not cant or bind the plate members 19 and ring members 30, or the members 26 to interfere with the reliable and continued operation.

The apparatus herein shown and described is capable of considerable modification within the scope of the c aims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A revolving door comprising a doorway, a vertically disposed revolving door axle mounted rotatably and centrally of said doorway, a pair of plate members mounted rigidly upon said axle near opposite ends of said axle and each provided with a gear member and a channel outside of said gear member, a ring member held yieldingly relative to each of plate members and provided with radial recesses to engage the respective leaves of the revolving door to resiliently hold said leaves in their open or radial positions relative to axl and plate members, a plurality of door leaves each having pins near its opposite ends engaging the channels of said plate members and gear members engaging the gears carried by said plate members, the resilient engagement of said door leaves w th the radial recesses of said ring members ser g nor ally hold said door leaves spaced radially in position about 5 id door axle and enabling said door leaves to yield to abnormal upon any of aid do r leaves J0 permit all or" said door leaves to assume a folded position at one side of said door axle.

2. In a folding revolving door, a door axle hava ing a plate member rigidly attached thereto near aid door leaves and adapted to permit all of said door leaves to fold together under abnormal strain on any of said leaves.

3. In a folding revolving door, a tubular door axle having a plate member rigidly attached thereto near its end, a plurality of door leaves each pivotally attached to said plate member and adapted to be folded together relative to said axle and plate member, resiliently energized ring adapted to engage and normally hold all of said door leaves in spaced radial relation to said axle, and plate member, and manually operable plungers located within and movable endwise of said axle adapted to move said ring to release said door l aves from their spaced radial positions.

i. In a folding revolving door, a door axle, a plate member attached rigidly to said axle near each end, and each provided with a gear member and an annular channel outside of said gear member, door leaves pivotally attache to said plate members by pivot pins entering said annular channels, members carried by said door leaves meshing with the gears of said plate members, a ring member movable axially relative to each piate member and provided with radial r cesses adapted to engage hold all said door leaves in radial positions and springs interposed between ring members and said plate members.

5. In a ioldable revolving door the cornbination or" a tubular door axle, a rigid plate fixed near each end of said axle, a plurality of door leaves having pivotal mountings on said plates, a ring member associated with each plate, the rings each having radial grooves engaging the door leaves, resilient means between each plate and its associated ring for yieldably resisting displacement of the door leaves from the grooves in the rings, a spider at each end of the axle and having connected to the ring and means within the axle whereby said spiders be moved away from each other for compr ssing the rings toward the plates to release the door leaves from the grooves. 6. In a control andholding mechanism for the leaves of foldable revolving doors the combination with a tubular axle of a concentric plate fixed at the end thereof and having an annular groove, a fixed gear concentric with the axle and the groove, a plurality of door leaves, a pinion fixed on each of said leaves and en aging the gear on the plate, a pivot pin on each leaf engaging the annular groove, a rin conceitric with the plate and shiftable axially relative thereto, said ring being interposed between the plate and i said doors, the grooves therein adapted one each to receive and radially position the door leaves, spring means grouped concentrically about the axle between the plate and ring and members extending slidably through the plate and normally constraining the rin to hold the leaves T within the axle for engaging the telescoping tubufor, links connecting the respective shutters to the support to allow the shutters to be swung together around said support, detent means rotatable with said support and having a series of upwardly opening notches receiving the lower parts of the respective shutters to hold said shutters divergent from the support, said shutters releasably engaging down in said notches so as to allow the shutters to be released from said notches and swung together as aforesaid.

JOHN J. DOLEZAL. 

